The present disclosure relates generally to printing systems and methods.
In addition to home and office usage, inkjet technology has been expanded to high-speed, commercial and industrial printing. Inkjet printing is a non-impact printing method that utilizes electronic signals to control and direct droplets or a stream of ink to be deposited on media. Current inkjet printing technology involves forcing the ink drops through small nozzles by thermal ejection, piezoelectric pressure or oscillation onto the surface of the media. This technology has become a popular way of recording images on various media surfaces (e.g., paper), for a number of reasons, including, low printer noise, capability of high-speed recording and multi-color recording.
High-speed, commercial and industrial printing often involves high speed printing on offset media. Inkjet inks are often water-based inks that have a relatively long dry time. This property renders inkjet inks undesirable for high-speed printing, at least in part because the speed of printing may result in the smearing of printed images.